Namaste ji! Throughout the night there was a terrible storm; the worst so far, thunder and lightning constantly. Typically this fell on the day we had planned for the hot water springs, through the journey the weather cleared up but the roads (if you can call them that) were so dangerous. The journey was one of the most terrifying things since being in India our lives were in someone else’s hands; gradually getting higher and higher until those mountain tips were not so much in the distance anymore! The walk to the hot springs was really strenuous but well worth it when we got there. The stream flowing into the pool was steaming hot; it was so bizarre one second we were hit with boiling hot water and the next freezing. The walk back to the taxi we spent mostly on our bums; my legs were trembling as the ground beneath me moved.

We spent Sunday painting the day care centre; I had no idea that it wasn’t just a simple touch of paint! But it was so rewarding there was four of us and it only took a few hours but those few hours really changed the learning environment for those children for years! The simplest thing that we would have just spent on food of something equally as passive in our life has made the biggest difference to our day care.

We arrived at the newly painted day care centre to see the happiness in the children faces, repeating ‘peela’ (yellow). To work in the environment its self has made such a difference. We decided to give construction a go in the after-noon just to get the most out of the project, it was so rewarding although such a small difference it felt so big. We moved a huge heap or rubble and rocks from the centre of the playground to the side to divide the playground from the cliff edge. Stumbling across a few scorpions, frogs and leeches, just the norm in India I will never be scared of bugs ever again at home!


I’m currently sitting here writing my blog in the Day care centre overlooking the Himalayan Mountains one side and Alice In wonderland the other side. Drovi, the village we work in itself it a beautiful looking Italian village, the fine-looking houses perfectly distributed up the mountains surrounded by crops and cows. It’s when you look closer at the village that the cracks appear. Everyone in the village is so welcoming and pleasant; there is a real aspect of community.

Even for us to watch a film it feel so serial as it feels like a life time we have been here, but for the children there eyes widen and the smiles glisten on their faces. Just alike the kids back home it’s a dream world for them to escape from their daily life and use their imagination.

We spent the after-noon doing construction again which was challenging with my body aching from the day before, the Indian tools look alike something in my granddad’s garage!

We awoke to the storm still raging as it did all night, the monsoon was really beginning but it just doesn’t seem to get cooler. We just about arrived at work in one peace, but unfortunately more leeches turned up than kids as it was too dangerous for them to get to school so we had to go back to the house. Other groups had, had a real nightmare travelling to work as there are not roads they have to walk and they got caught in landslides which sounded amazing but probably scary at the time! We decided to head to town to get the class photo copied but nothing is ever that simple in India everyone is so laid back and in no rush it’s so crazy and frustrating for impatient people.

Unfortunately the rain persisted, which wassuch a shame as it’s our last two weeks with the kids and they cannot come because of the weather! We had a few children but not our usual clan; although they were equally as lovely .We returned to the house to fill in our reports on the children for the next volunteers, it was so upsetting to think that we were leaving them. Although we have only made a small change in the community to us it’s a huge change since arriving, and that’s all this project needs to succeed. In the day care centre we have maintained cleaning, we have painted it and have really made a change to the kids or at least we feel we have. We have supported the pregnant women, visited them regularly taken them lunch and provided them with information they required in a broacher. In women’s empowerment we have developed a friendship, taught them and developed their confidence enough to get them to re-enact Little Red Riding Hood to their community. In construction the boys have adapted a whole play ground and made it into a safer environment.

Only 13 days left now, really looking forward to coming home now!